Taking a break from duty

Marine will get to relax at home for a while before returning to base.

Marine will get to relax at home for a while before returning to base.

February 08, 2008|TOM MOOR Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Vince Banicki spent the past year and a half far from home -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Bangladesh. The 25-year-old Marine is more than happy now to be spending the next week and a half relaxing at his parents' lake home in Edwardsburg, far from the action. "I don't have any plans," Banicki said. He's earned the brief break in action. Cpl. Banicki returned home Thursday night from his second overseas tour. He served the past eight months on the aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean Sea with his Jacksonville, N.C.-based unit. Several family members were waiting with signs and flags as a weary Banicki strolled through South Bend Regional Airport and gave his mom, Rose Kelsheimer, the first hug. Other family members soon followed. Banicki's stepfather, Kevin Kelsheimer, is a Veterans Affairs officer for St. Joseph County. "You always worry about your child, especially when they're in foreign countries," Rose Kelsheimer said. "We e-mailed as much as we could to try and stay in touch. It's really good to have him home." Banicki, the son and stepson of Marines, mainly did special operations while overseas. Midway through his tour, while the USS Kearsarge was south of the equator, the aircraft carrier was diverted to Bangladesh where a cyclone had ravaged the nation's coast. Fifty-two days and 3,000 miles later, he was on shore helping the country rebuild. The USS Kearsarge was the first American ship to arrive. "It was really bad," Banicki recalled. "It caused so much devastation. There was barely any water, and the people were in desperate need of help." Banicki is going back to his base Feb. 17, unsure what his next mission will be. He has just under two years left to serve. Although he's seen enough places to consider working as a travel agent, Banicki would like to get a job as a mechanic on the Indiana Toll Road. Either way, his family will again be at his side. "We're all so proud of him," Rose Kelsheimer said. Staff writer Tom Moor: tmoor@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6187